Excellent post. Now, that's a post with some meat to it. Reading your previous posts, I was left with the impression that you were just fishing, or trying to scrape up some dirt, as they say. There's far too much of that these days, and I get tired of hearing about conspiracy theories. But the questions you just posed, in the context in which you posted them, are VERY intriguing. Let me add another question to your list -- Was Lincoln's offer to Lee based solely on Lee's military abilities, i.e., was he the best man for the job, or was it a political move to cash in on Lee's Virginia connection and sterling reputation in an attempt to influence Virginia's pending vote on secession? If so, did Lee see through the charade and refuse to lend his name to Lincoln's plan?

Uh oh! I'm speculating!